Past Mistakes
by The Red Dove
Summary: They took refuge in the court, but your father refused. He would have never have left your mother, but when he made it back...she was already gone...Alister Azimuth wasn't the only one who made a mistake on Fastoon. A mistake that now burdened Ratchet's shoulders, even if he never knew what it was.
1. Chapter 1

Ratchet closed his eyes and willed for sleep to come, but the adrenaline rush was still strong withing his system. He groaned and turned over, hoping to find some magical position to help him fall asleep, and gave up five minutes later. He'd seriously had enough with those space pirates.

As Ratchet slowly sat up and the blood rushed to his head, he felt uneasy, as if someone was watching him. "Clank?" he asked as he glanced around his room. "You in here, pal?" When nothing but silence answered him, he closed his eyes and dropped back down to the bed, before remembering he was trying to get up. But his tired body wouldn't listen to his demands to sit back up.

'That's odd,' he thought as a huge wave a sleepiness washed over his bruised form, sweeping him off to sleep.

* * *

_Fastoon. A planet in ruins, the orange sky heavily contrasting the rubble and garbage. He gazed around helplessly as a planet he very well may have been _born_ on only had these negative pictures surrounding him. Then he heard someone call his name._

_He turned around to face the voice to discover a bustling city, skyline full of vehicles and streets full of people._

His_ people._

_All bustling about, rushing to jobs, walking hand in hand through the park, children playing in the streets. No sign of trash or ruin anywhere._

_Ratchet circled around in awe, taking in every detail of the city around him, feeling a strong sense of belonging, as he walked down a street, nearly bumping into a hurried businessman in his daze. The picture flickered as a child chasing her friend ran _through_ him, reminding Ratchet of the ruins that should be there, when the voice called his name again._

_He jerked around, hoping to catch the person, only to see the very town in destruction as Tachyon's army stormed through the streets. Ratchet closed his eyes, unable to watch when he felt an arm on his shoulder. He slowly turned around to view the ancient ruins as various forms of plantlife attempted to hide the scene of the unspeakable crime in an unbelievably beautiful way. When a group of people-archaeologists, most likely-walked into his line of vision and he froze._

_They were Lombaxes. The technology they used was incredibly advanced, and he watched in awe as they stood in a moment of silence when Ratchet realized they were tourists._

_Hearing his name called yet again, he turned around to see a new planet, one he hadn't seen yet, full of the Lombax race. One woman in particular stood out among the rest, for instead of the faded images of people bustling about their lives, this clear image was staring straight at him, a smile on her face. "Please, come here," she beckoned, and he quickly obliged. As he reached out his hand to hers, a blast of comforting warmth took over him, and they sat down. _

_"How have you been?" she asked._

_"Good."_

_"The best news I've ever heard." She grinned, and he returned the gesture. "What do you see?"_

_He glanced around. "I see my old workshop in Veldin," he smiled softly. When he turned to look back at her, she was gone, but his Kerwanian home filled his vision instead. _

_"Hey, over here."_

_He turned around again to see the woman standing in the Great Clock, smiling at him, but no matter how hard or fast he ran, he couldn't reach her. _

_"Please, please stop," the voice was now filled with tears. Ratchet ceased his running and glanced down closing his eyes., when he felt her hand on his shoulder. "I'm alright. I'll be seeing you soon, love. Open your eyes."_

When he did, he was somewhat surprised to see him back in his room, laying on his bed, his head buzzing and ears ringing. He felt slightly sick to his stomach, and his throat was unbelievably dry.

"Ratchet, are you alright?" a robotic voice asked in concern.

"Yeah, Clank, I'm fine," Ratchet replied, though his voice was hoarse.

"Are you certain? You've been out for the whole day."

The Lombax shot up. "What?!" he exclaimed, bringing a hand to his dizzy head.

"Ratchet, please, lie back down. I'll bring in a doctor to-"

"No, I'm fine, Clank. Just had this weird dream is all."

Clank looked at his friend, concern written clear in his glass eyes, which Ratchet still marveled at the emotion it displayed. "...Very well then, Ratchet. Would you care for some dinner? I could-"

"NO! No, I'm good. I'll just get something myself, I could use the walk," he attempted to cover up, not wanting his kitchen to be ruined yet again from one of Clank's culinary experiments.

Clank nodded and hopped off the bed, walking with his friend to the kitchen. 'Wow, he was actually on my bed? He must have been _really_ concerned.' the Lombax thought as he neared the cupboards.

"Augh...looks like we gotta go shopping again, pal," he grunted as he slammed the door shut, and started for the door, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced around to see the unknown planet again, completely deserted, and the woman's voice full of concern.

"Where is your father?!"

"Ratchet!" Clank's voice broke through as the image faded and he glanced down at his small friend before dropping to his knees in exhaustion. "Ratchet, are you certain you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Clank. Just a bit off today."

Clank frowned in thought. "Perhaps you inhaled some sort of toxin during the battle yesterday-"

"No! I'm fine, alright? Now, let's get something to eat, I'm starving!"

* * *

"Was contact successful, Leianna?" a voice asked.

Said woman groaned as she sat up from the bed. "I think so, but I feel like shi-"

"Understood, we still have some side effects to look into, but it's nothing to be concerned with, I assure you."

"Thanks Dr. Krevan," she mumbled sarcastically. She stood up slowly, with help from the doctor and bedside table as she removed the helmet, attempting to rid her fur of the helmet hair she knew she'd have. "Good day."

"And to you too, Leianna."

She walked through the streets to home. 'No, not home. Home will always be on Fastoon.'

"Leianna!" someone called out.

"Yes, Sandra?" Leianna replied, turning around.

"I heard you were chosen to test the Dreamcatcher! How'd it go?" the child asked.

"Well, I think. It's got some nasty side effects though."

"Who did you try to contact?" she asked.

"My husband, but I couldn't seem to find him anywhere. I could have sworn..."

"Hey, hey! Leianna, maybe he wasn't asleep!"

"Maybe...it was rather odd."

"How?"

Leianna frowned in thought. "I think I reached my son, but he looked so _much older_. Just like his father, even."

"Maybe it reached your son in the future!" Sandra hypothesized.

"Maybe...or maybe we live in a slower timestream."

The young child gazed up at the older woman in confusion. "I guess..."

Leianna laughed. "You'll understand when you're older."

* * *

**Short, I know, but just a prologue. REVIEW PLEASE!**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Busy busy busy! And lazy. And other 'z' sounding words too. Probably.**

**On with the story!**

* * *

The night came all to fast for Ratchet, and though he wouldn't admit it, he was scared to fall asleep. Several hours passed as he lie awake, before realizing he was naturally tired, and not being forced asleep like before. Cautiously, his eyes closed, hoping to get a good night's sleep.

He heard the sound of the door opening. "Ratchet?"

"Yeah, Clank?" he responded tiredly.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, I can set up an appointment for you tomorrow-"

"I'm fine, buddy. I was just about to sleep when you came in," he assured.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Ratchet. Good night."

"Clank," Ratchet drawled. "I'm not mad at you. But good night to you too." He smiled as his friend closed the door, before laying back down, when the familiar feeling of being forced into sleep came again. "Come on..." he complained as he closed his eyes.

* * *

_"Ratchet? What kind of name is that?" the woman's voice called out from the Starship Phoenix._

_Ratchet turned around to face her. "It's my name. Speaking of names, what's yours?"_

_She smiled sadly at him. "Leianna. Leianna Revala. Lovely to meet you, Ratchet."_

_Ratchet stared at her for the longest time. "And...who are you?" Leianna shook her head with a smile._

_"Someone you should trust. Where's Kaden?" she finally asked._

_The male Lombax just stared at him. "Kaden? As in my father?"_

_She smiled lightly at this, as if she had confirmed a suspicion. "Yes, you look just like him."_

_Ratchet looked at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "My father's dead."_

_Leianna gasped as a hand reached her mouth. She shook her head as she stepped back and collapsed. "Are you okay?" Ratchet asked as he knelt down to her level. She was about his age, he figured, and something looked very familiar about her, but he could have sworn that he'd never seen her before._

_She shook her head again. "What...what happened?"_

_Ratchet sighed as he sat down next to her, Fastoon's ruins now in view. "From what Alister told me-" Leianna flinched at his name, "My father sent me to Solana right after Fastoon was destroyed and went to face Tachyon, but was killed when he wouldn't reveal the Dimensionator's or my location. I never knew him."_

_Tears leaked out of Leianna's eyes as she revealed her face again. "And Alister? You mean Azimuth, right?" A nod from Ratchet. "What about him?"_

_"I met him a few months ago, he told me all about my father as we searched for my friend Clank, who was in something called the Great Clock-" a gasp at this, "and Alister was convinced he could use the Clock to reverse time and fix his mistake. But it wasn't a time machine, just a time _keeper_, but he refused to accept that until...it was too late. He gave his life to save the universe once he realized the truth."_

_Leianna nodded, trying not to show any emotion. "Are there any other Lombaxes?"_

_"There was Angela, but she's been missing for years now."_

_The female sighed. "Take care, Ratchet. I'll see you soon."_

* * *

Ratchet opened his eyes, surprised to see that it was morning already. But once again, his body ached too much to move, but with a sudden wave of nausea, he ran to the bathroom and emptied his stomach.

"Ratchet! Are you alright?" Clank called as he heard the commotion and ran into the bathroom.

"Yeah, fine, never been better!" the Lombax called out crankily.

Clank frowned and shook his head. "I'm calling the doctor."

"Yeah, you do that..." he replied, his mind somewhere else though. Where had he seen Leianna before? His eyes fell on his workbench, and he walked over and began to work. A few hours went by when his door opened again, two pairs of footsteps walking into his room.

"Ratchet? The doctor's here."

Sighing, the Lombax turned around to meet an overweight man with the typical med-box in hand. "Alright, what do I do?"

"First, you can start by opening your mouth," the doctor ordered as he opened his case.

Once the examination was complete, however, the doctor seemed somewhat baffled. "My diagnosis? Probably some side effects of some sort, you seem perfectly healthy to me. Good day." He got up after he gathered his things and left.

Ratchet stared at Clank. "Happy now?"

"Not quite," the robot declared. "Side effects of what? Does it involve that machine you are working on?"

"Don't know, haven't done anything yet," Ratchet replied as he picked it up and examined it. "It might have something to do with those dreams, though."

Clank seemed concerned as he asked, "What dreams?"

"Oh, you know, the usual-places you've been with some weird woman who seems to know you and asks all sorts of questions. That's what this is for," he held up the machine in his hands, "to find out who she is, since I've probably seen her before and don't remember. I call it, the 'Memory'...something. Let's go with 'Rememberer' for now."

"The Memory Rememberer?"

"Eh, it's a work in progress," he waved it off as he sat down and continued working on it.

"Do you require any help?"

The Lombax stared at his friend before a warm smile crossed his features. "Sure thing, pal."

* * *

"Alright, I think this is it!" Ratchet exclaimed as he held up the hat. "Probably my best invention yet...and it's a hat..." he mumbled this bit in mild irritation, before a smile lit his face again. "Let's test this baby out!"

"Are the-?"

"Yes, Clank, everything's fine." A bolt then shot out of the contraption, and Ratchet looked down sheepishly at his companion. "...Do you think you can get that for me?"

With a roll of his eyes, the robot jumped off the table to retrieve the bolt and handed it back to Ratchet, who secured it in place and proceeded to thoroughly inspect his device, before nodding in approval. "Alright, _now_ let's try this out!"

"I'll get the nanotech," Clank walked off as the hat was placed on Ratchet's head, and Clank froze, curious and cautious about this test run. It sparked to life as a bulb went off, and Ratchet's eyes blanked. "Ratchet?" he called, concern thickly coating his voice. "Ratchet!" he called as he ran up to his friend, but was hesitant to pull the device off, it might make Ratchet's state worse. "Ratchet..." he called softly, when all of a sudden Ratchet jolted awake, sending Clank flying to the ground. "Ratchet, are you alright?"

Ratchet stared numbly down at his best friend, panting lightly. "Leianna..."

"Who?" Clank questioned. "The woman from your dreams?" The Lombax nodded slowly. "What about her?"

Ratchet stopped his panting for a minute before looking his friend in the eye. "She's my mother."

Clank's eyes did nothing to hide the shock that took over. "Your mother is alive?"

"I...I _think_ so. But..." all of a sudden, a familiar forced sleepiness fell over him. "Clank?"

"Yes, Ratchet...?"

"I'll be right back," he stated as he fell to the floor.

* * *

_He opened his eyes to see Leianna leaning over his face, her own revealing a concern that Ratchet could now pinpoint as motherly._

_"Mom?"_

_Leianna froze in shock for a moment, before smiling. "Yes."_


End file.
